Week
4 - Football Game of the Week PreviewLowell (1-2) at Griffith (1-2) |
9-08-2016
Lowell's Trevor Espravnik (13) has scored six touchdowns in 2 weeks so everybody is going to want to say 'hello' when the Devils get to Griffith Friday night for a Northwest Crossroads Conference (NCC) battle. (Photo by Mark Smith) |
When: 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 9, 2016
Where: Griffith High School, 600 North Wiggs St. (about 6 blocks south of Ridge Road on Wiggs Street), Griffith, IN.
Tickets:
$6
Radio-TV: WTMK (88.5) FM live, Live updates of all local
scores all night on WLPR (89.1) FM.
Enrollment: GRIFFITH - 776; LOWELL - 1,187.
WEATHER: This global warming thing is getting out of hand. Last
Friday's cool fall weather got lost this week as 90-degree days spoiled the
first week of September. It will be a warm night for football in Griffith this
week and humidity should be high. There is a good chance of rain Friday. Just a
question of when it comes. It could be a tough night for the players. But it's
unpredictable this week.
PARKING: Griffith's move to the Greater South Shore Conference
next season will end the series with Lowell, and while the Panthers may not miss
the Lowell team, the Griffith box office will miss the paying customers from
Lowell. The visitors form the south end of Lake County always seem to beat the
Friday traffic and get to Griffith for 7 p.m. football. There is not a lot of
parking at Griffith and there never has been. I don't know if the Panther fans
will show up in force after some down seasons and a 1-2 start. Get there by 6:30
p.m. or you may have to park 'in the neighborhood' as they say. As always, don't
block anybody's driveway.
WHAT's AT STAKE: Lowell looked like a contender for the Northwest
Crossroads Conference (NCC) title last week and they want to be 2-0 in league
play when they head south on the bus home. I don't think Griffith sees
themselves as a potential NCC champ as much as they hope to be a challenger to
Mishawka Marian (3-0) in Class 3A Sectional 25. I'm not sure where Lowell will
be ranked this week, but they were still in the 4A Top-15 when they were 0-2. So
this is a potential season-changing event for the Panthers. After the first two
games, which ended in the other side celebrating in the middle of the field, I
think Lowell boys understand that they are a 'big game' for everybody this fall.
HISTORY: One of the longest series
in the state of Indiana ends Friday. Griffith began playing varsity football in
1934 and they have faced Lowell every single season since then. Griffith leads
the 82-year series 50-34-2, even though Lowell has won the last five games,
including a 61-6 victory last fall. Griffith (official population is a little
over 16,000) and Lowell (population a little over 9,000) are not the same size,
but that's deceptive. The Lowell school district goes all the way south from
about two miles north of Route 2 to the south end of the county.
Griffith doesn't get many (if any) students from unincorporated areas. They are
small and getting smaller as the community ages and that's why they have decided
to leave the Northwest Crossroads Conference (NCC) for the Greater South Shore
Conference (GSSC) and play schools their own size, for the good of the young
people who compete.
It's the same decision Hobart made 13 years ago after they became the smallest
school in the Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) and it has worked well for
Hobart, who has won titles in the NCC that they would not have won in the DAC,
where they have been since 2003.
Griffith's reality check comes while baseball and basketball are still
competitive. Former head football coach Russ Radtke left the school at the and
of eight consecutive winning seasons in 2011. Girls basketball was also very
successful until recently.
But I'm guessing that the folks at Griffith are looking at grade school
enrollment in making the league change. I've got to believe it's hard for a
school to admit that they will be outmanned and won't be able to compete in some
sports. That's not something competitors do. But it is something administrators
do. The goal of a school athletic program is to give teens a chance to play and
learn with a real chance for success and victory. Griffith facing Munster, for
example, is a school of about 800 against a school of about 1,500.
Griffith football was not really successful on the scoreboard until coach Tom
Kurth (43-30-5) arrived in the late 50s. Us old-timers recall the long run of
Les Thornton (133-56) who won four of the old Lake Suburban Conference titles
and five sectionals from 1975 to 1992 with a running option 'wishbone' attack.
Then came Radtke (171-64) who continued the Panthers' success seamlessly from
1993-2011, establishing Griffith as a state playoff power. Griffith football was
the place to be to the tune of over 300 wins in 25 seasons including the 1997 4A
state championship.
But that's all changing. 2006 graduate (and all-area defensive end) Ben Geffert
has taken over as coach and he will certainly tell his boys that on Sept 2,
2005, 5th ranked Griffith shut out Lowell 21-0, the year Lowell won the 4A state
title. The 'good old days'.
The 'Distant Replay'
Griffith upends Lowell
with 29-28 win in Overtime
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F |
Griffith (2-2) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
LOWELL (3-1) | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Friday, Sep. 7, 2007, 81 degrees, humid -- Northwest Crossroads Conference at Lowell, IN
1st
Qtr:
LOWELL (7-0) Steffan Peck, 2-yard run. 52-yard, 9 play drive.
David Lang kick. 6:29 left.
GRIFFITH (7-7) Kyle Najar, 5-yard run. 80-yard, 6 play
drive. 3:16 left.
2nd Qtr: GRIFFITH (14-7)
Derek Hitt, 2-yard run. 46-yard, 7 play drive. 1:51 left.
3rd
Qtr:
LOWELL (14-14) Ben Rigby 16-yard fumble return. 6:38 left.
LOWELL (21-14) Jacob Belt, 36-yard option pass from Eric Roadruck.
73-yard, 6 play drive. 2:11 left.
4th Qtr: GRIFFITH (21-21) Derek Hitt, 3-yard option
run. 45-yard, 4 play drive. 0:38 left.
Overtime: LOWELL (28-21) Steffan
Peck, 1-yard (4th down) run. David Lang kick.
GRIFFITH (29-28) Derek Hitt 1-yard (4th down) option keeper.
2-point option run by Derek Hitt.
RUSHING
LOWELL (31 carries, 101 yards, 2 TDs) Steffan Peck (HB) 24
caries, 100 yards, 2 TDs; Kurt Monix (QB) 7- 1 (sack -minus-6); TJ Lukasik
(WB) 1-0
GRIFFITH (47 carries, 211 yards, 3 TDs) David Alexander (HB-WB)
9-67 yards; Kyle Najar (FB) 13-68 yards; Derek Hitt (QB) 23-65, 3 TDs, fumble;
Rex Cullen (HB) 2-11.
PASSING
LOWELL- Kurt Monix (QB) 3-10, 35 yards 0 TDs, one INT; Eric Roadruck (WR)
1-1, 36 yards, one TD;
GRIFFITH - Derek Hitt (QB) 7-of-10, 102 yards. David Alexander (HB-WR)
1-1, 37 yards.
RECEIVING
LOWELL - Jeff Barker (TE) 2-29; Johnny Black (FB) 1-6, Jake Belt (WR)
1-36, TD;
GRIFFITH - David Alexander (WR-DB) 5-85 yards; Mark Blount (WR) 1-14
yards; David Galiher (WR) 1-37 yards; Doug Ashenbaugh (TE) 1-2 yards.
TURNOVERS
LOWELL (1) interception; GRIFFITH (3) all fumbles.
TOTAL YARDS
LOWELL - 172 yards, 6 first downs, one turnover;
GRIFFITH - 350 yards, 16 first downs, 3 turnovers.
LOWELL: Nine years ago, the Panthers
brought their triple-option attack down to Lowell and they were in top form. But
Lowell was coming off four consecutive sectional championships and had outscored
its first three opponents 64-14. Lowell seemed in position to win before the
Panthers drove 79 yards in 17 plays with 1:43 left.
Lowell stopped Griffith QB Derek Hitt at the goal line on fourth down, but
Lowell could move the ball and had to punt with a little more than a minute to
go. The Panthers capitalized on a short punt and scored with 38 seconds left,
with Hitt pulling the ball out of the hands of fullback Kyle Najar and scoring
the game-tying TD.
With a sellout crowd watching, Steffan Peck scored
on fourth down in overtime to give the Devils a 28-21 lead. But Griffith moved
the ball to the 1-yard-line where Hitt scored on fourth down to make it 28-27.
Coach Russ Radtke called the place-kicker back and called a winner-take-all
play, the basic triple option run. Hitt faked to Najar and sprinted around left
end to win the game 29-28. It's easily one of the best games played in Lowell in
the last 20 years.
Griffith spring boarded off that win to take eight of their last 10 games.
Lowell won 10 in a row after that loss, including a 20-13 regional championship
victory over Griffith. The Devils reached the state title game where they lost
33-14 to (Evansville) Reitz. The Devils would reach the 2009 state title game
and lost to Reitz again. But the three years including 2007-2009 saw Lowell win
39 and lose 5, the best period in their history.
Derek Hitt went on to play football at Benedictine College in Lisle, Illinois.
Doug Ashenbaugh was a three-year starter who made 91 tackles and seven QB sacks
in 2007. Lowell defensive end tight end Jeff Barker went on to play football at
Ball State. He was the local newspaper Player of the Year in 2007 with eight QB
sacks, beating out (among others) East Chicago's Kawaan Short, who was playing
Thursday night for the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Kurt Monix was a football player
and wrestler at Mancester College. TJ Lukasik made 68 tackles and intercepted
five passes in 2007. He'll be coaching the secondary Friday night in Griffith
for the Devils.
GRIFFITH Update:
GRIFFITH - The Panthers returned 13 starters from last season when they lost
to Lowell 61-6. That subject will come up this week among those 13 boys. The
situation is a little similar to Portage, which was motivated to play Lowell
again after losing in 2015. But Griffith doesn't have the depth and size that
Portage does. The Panthers probably can't push Lowell around for 48 minutes, so
they need 'home runs' and for that they'll look for 'Super Joe' Martoccio (6-1,
155), who tried out to be the Panther QB but didn't beat out junior Fred
Winston. Martoccio has caught seven passes in three games, but has gained 183
yards, a 26.1 average. Watch for number '4' for Griffith. He could run it. He
cold throw it. He could catch it. The big concern for the Panthers is the
defense where they have allowed 1,012 yards in three games.
Michigan City ran 53 times for 344 yards against Griffith and Hobart passed for
303 yards against the Panthers. Griffith has to control the ball and keep the
defense off the field. The Panthers have scored 56 first half points (just 27 in
the second half) so they do start fast. One red flag. Griffith unofficially has
drawn 26 penalties for 205 yards. They can't draw seven or eight penalties
Friday and stay in the game.
QB - Fred Winston (6-1, 173) Junior:
Winston is 20 of 36 for 490 yards and three TDs (just one interception) so the
new Panther QB is a threat. Winston also has 127 yards on 24 carries to go with
three more TDs. The Panthers don't run the ball like they used to, so Winston
has to make big plays. He has thrown TD passes of 30, 57 and 82 yards, scoring
on runs of 20, 42 and 51 yards. So far, so good.
LB - Josh Miller (6-1, 175) Senior:
Miller does a lot for Griffith. He's been in on 32 tackles on defense so far,
while scoring 2 TDs on a 7-yard run against Michigan City and an 86-yard kickoff
return against Wheeler. Miller is an undersized linebacker who makes a lot of
plays. He's listed as a wide receiver, but he might show up anywhere.
Kicker - Alec Seberger (5-11, 170) Senior:
Seberger has to keep Lowell deep in their own territory for the Panthers to have
a chance to pull an upset. He averaged 35.1 yards per boot last season (13 punts
for a 34.5 average this year) and reportedly made four game-saving tackles on
kick returns last year. Seberger is 8-of-9 on extra points and, while he has
booted no field goal yet, he reportedly has good range. Lowell's defense will
stop the Panthers at times. If Seberger drops punts inside the 20-yard-line,
Griffith has an outside chance to beat Lowell.
LOWELL Update:
LOWELL - Lowell was strong in a 35-0 win over Kankakee Valley last week.
Despite two fumbles, the Devils dominated the game, allowing KV just five first
downs and five rushing yards. Look, you can make trends say anything you want
them to say. I know. I've done it on these pages for years. But the win in the
first week of September recalls Lowell's most enduring (if totally meaningless)
statistic. Lowell was 7-1 in the month of September the last two years. Even in
the years 2010 to 2013, when Lowell was barely better than a .500 team (22-18),
they were 14-3 in the month of September. Should I go on?
In the last 10 years, since the start of the 2007 season, counting last week's
game, in the month of September, Lowell is 33-5, the second best record in
Northwest Indiana (Merrillville is 34-4). Now, a lot of that is due to the
schedule. Lowell has begun the season with 6A neighbor Crown Point in August and
they in recent years have played rivals Munster and Andrean in October. But
since they won the state title in 2005, Lowell has been a target. The Devils
have been favored in most of those 38 games. The 33-5 record in September truly
doesn't mean a thing because you obviously don't win any titles in September in
Indiana high school football. But it's nice to talk about.
Lowell should be 3-0 this season, but they are 1-2, and 0-1 on the road. Until
you get back to the .500 mark, you don't have much to say about anything so the
ride to Griffith this Friday is very much a 'business trip' for the Devils.
Linebacker - Michael Wildman (6-1, 182) Junior:
For reasons I'm not sure of, Penn high school calls their varsity football
defense the 'Wild Bunch'. Lowell isn't quite calling themselves the 'Wildman
Bunch' but Michael made 11 tackles last week including two quarterback sacks for
10 yards in losses. For the year, Michael Wildman has been in on 31 tackles and
has a blocked kick. On offense, he's caught three passes for 44 yards. Maybe he
was 'born to be wild'! Okay, I'll stop.
RB-LB Trevor Espravnik (5-10, 184) Senior:
Three weeks ago, I said that Trevor Espravnik would run for 1,000 yards this
fall. After Lowell, as a team, rushed for 42 yards in the season opener against
Crown Point, I felt like the folks who picked the Indianapolis Colts to go to
the Super Bowl last season. But wait: Espravnik gained 166 yards and four
touchdowns on 14 carries last week and, for the season, Trevor has rushed 37
times for 287 yards and six touchdowns. Now the difference recently is probably
the offensive line, but Espravnik, with luck, seems on his way to 1,000-yard
land. And the Colts, with Luck? Hey, you never know.
Kicker - LB - Jake Post (5-9, 173) Junior:
Jake didn't win the game. It was a 35-0 final. Jake didn't dominate the game. He
was in on three tackles. But he was 5-of-5 on extra point kicks. For the season
he's officially 7-of-7. Lowell has lost the last two regional championship games
by one point. They didn't miss the kick either time but one point matters.
Kickers can miss field goals, but they need to be perfect on conversions,
especially on the road. It's a high bar to set, but it's needed on a title team.
at 'the
Boneyard" in Griffith - capacity: 2,000
Sagarin ratings: Lowell by
18.
GRIFFITH (9-09-2016) Okay, how can a 1-2 team be favored by 18 over another 1-2 team? Strength of schedule. Griffith has lost to 5A Michigan City and 4A Hobart. Griffith has allowed 85 total points, 28.3 per game. Lowell has lost to 6A Portage and 6A Crown Point by a grand total of seven points. Lowell has allowed 37 points in three games, 12.3 per game. Even if they don't take last year's 61-6 Lowell win into consideration (and I don't think Sagarin ratings deal in any way with past years), Lowell is a big favorite here. A spread of 18 seems high, but Lowell was a 25-point
favorite over KV last week and they won by 35.
WHAT
WILL HAPPEN:
GRIFFITH (9-09-2016) When you look at
Lowell, you see one thing. The Devils haven't allowed a TD pass and they have
five quarterback sacks. So Griffith will be conservative, using some option runs
similar to what Portage did successfully against the Devils. The Panthers go
ahead on a long field goal by Alec Seberger. But Lowell starts a drive late in
the first quarter and they get Trevor Espravnik into the end zone for a 7-3
lead.
The Panthers will be forced to punt and Jordan Jusevitch runs the kick back for
the Devils first kick return score of the season and 14-3 lead at the half.
As Griffith goes to the air, they have limited success and Lowell gets a third
TD on a wide receiver screen pass to Austin Giordano. Espravnik's second TD ups
he lead to 28-3 late in the third quarter. Griffith connects on a pass from Fred
Winston to Joe Martoccio in the forth quarter. Winston runs for a second late
TD. Lowell's Tyler Wildman gets a chance and scores on a late run. The Panthers
have not stopped the run well all season and if they get ahead, they can shorten
this game and keep it close. But Lowell has run the ball better every week and
they face a defensive front that will be highly motivated, but may not have the
size to to reject the running Red Devils.
Lowell needs to fight off an inspired opponent and get to 2-2 and they will.
LOWELL 35, Griffith 17